Overview

SZ is a psychotic disorder characterised by the loss of contact with reality. It involves profound disruption of cognition and emotion but symptoms may come and go.

Clinical Characteristics

Under the DSM-IV-TR (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders): SZ diagnosis requires at least one month duration of 2 or more positive symptoms.

Onset normally between mid-teens and early 30s.

Onset for women is 5-10 years later then for men: no adequate explanation for this.

Affects 1% of the UK population

Positive Symptoms

- Distortion of normal function

Delusions (bizarre beliefs, sometimes paranoid); hallucinations (auditory, visual and tactile); experiences of control (e.g. under the control of an alien force); disordered thinking (e.g. thought insertion or broadcasting).